Queens College National Fellowships

For many of us in the Queens College community, the July 4^th holiday offers an opportunity to consider how we can contribute to the work necessary to fulfill our nation’s founding principles. In her introduction to the 1619 project, Nikole Hannah-Jones reflects on her family’s patriotism and asserts that America wasn’t a democracy until black Americans made it one.

A number of fellowships affirm and celebrate the diversity of the United States and value a commitment to social justice. For example, the Paul and Daisy Soros Scholarship for New Americans values the contributions of immigrants to the United States by providing generous funding for graduate study to immigrants and children of immigrants. The foundation is hosting a number of webinars for students in particular fields which will provide an overview of the award, discuss the application process, and feature previous fellows in those fields. Registration in advance is required but if you cannot attend, you can view a recent webinar here.

The FAO Schwarz Fellowship allows recent graduates to combat inequity by combining direct service with policy work in under-served communities. The foundation is hosting a webinar on the application process and the openings they expect to have in 2021. Please visit the foundation’s website and register for the July 15^th webinar to learn more. Dr. Egan is available to work with you on your applications, so please contact the Fellowships office with questions or for assistance.

Upcoming Soros Webinars:

• Applicants in Architecture, Writing, Arts, & Music – July 8 at 3 pm ET – Register here
• Re-Applicants – July 9 at 1 pm ET – Register here
• Applicants in Policy & Law – July 14 at 11 am ET – Register here
• Community College Graduates – July 16 at 8 pm ET – Register here
• Veterans & Active Military – July 21 at 12 pm ET – Register here
• Undocumented & DACA Recipient Applicants, Co-Hosted with My Undocumented Life – July 25 at 1 pm ET – Register here
• Applicants going into MBAs – July 29 at 10 am ET – Register here
• Applicants Pursuing PhDs in the Humanities & Social Sciences – August 4 at 3 pm ET – Register here
• Applicants Pursuing Medicine and/or Biomedical Sciences – August 5 at 1 pm ET – Register here
• Applicants in STEM – August 13 at 1 pm ET – Register here

Recent observances of Asian Heritage month, including the PBS documentary series Asian Americans, and this celebration of the class of 2020 from APIA Scholars offer us rich material for reflection.  Queens College provides many ways to explore the contributions of Asians and Asian-Americans to our local and global community including a discussion moderated by our president-designate.

If this period of sheltering in place has allowed you to reflect on your sense of community, you might think about how your Asian heritage shapes your interests and future plans.  Maybe you want to improve your language skills through a class here or, once travel restrictions are lifted, through a study abroad program.  You could also get involved with a student organization, such as our Japanese Culture Club.  We are very fortunate to have our Asian/American Center, which offers leadership programs and scholarships.  In addition, Queens College is a partner institution with APIA Scholars, which has provided generous funding to many QC students.  If the shut-down has allowed you to learn more about your family’s story of migration, your reflection on being a new American would be useful in a Soros Scholarship essay.  The QC Fellowships Office is available to help you identify appropriate funding opportunities and to work with you throughout the application process, including on drafts of required essays.  Please feel free to be in touch and check this blog for fellowship updates including announcements of information sessions like this one which we are happy to pass along from the QC library.

We invite you to join us on Wednesday, June 17 at 4 pm for “Model Minority vs. Covid-19,” an online discussion on Asians in America, racism, and higher education: https://qc-cuny.libcal.com/event/6768945. We will focus on the current higher educational experience for Asians in America, who are facing the continuously evolving challenge of racism. We will also discuss how Asians in America can provide ally-ship and solidarity to other groups that are experiencing racial oppression.

This event will be moderated by Queens College President-designate Frank Wu, and broadcast via Facebook Live on Queens Memory’s main Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/631852060751716/.

Sponsored by the Queens Memory COVID-19 Project of Queens College and Queens Public Library, the Asian/American Center at Queens College, and the Asian American/ Asian Research Institute – CUNY.

For more information, please contact Annie Tummino, Head of Special Collections and Archives, at annie.tummino@qc.cuny.edu.

Continuing our series of information sessions on funding graduate school, here is a video about opportunities that support study and research in the UK and Ireland.  This is an overview of several awards, and we plan to offer a more detailed, interactive information session soon.

We would appreciate your filling out our virtual “sign-in sheet” which you can find here.  This will allow us to send you additional information and to incorporate your questions and suggestions in our longer UK funding presentation and other information sessions.